Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) on Tuesday defended his choice to change into the primary Democrat to affix the Congressional Delivering Excellent Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) Caucus.
The group goals to be a counterpart to the forthcoming “Department of Government Efficiency,” additionally known as DOGE, within the Trump White Home.
In an interview on CNN’s “The Lead,” Moskowitz defined his choice, noting that “most caucuses in Congress are bipartisan ” and that it is vital for Democrats to take part in vital conversations, together with about authorities restructuring and spending cuts.
“The time for staying in safe spaces is over,” Moskowitz mentioned. “We should be able to go in spaces and have that conversation.”
The group is led by Reps. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) and Pete Periods (R-Texas) within the Home and by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) within the Senate.
Formation of the caucus serves as recognition that President-elect Trump’s DOGE, which shall be led by billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, will be unable to slash spending and lower authorities packages with out Congress.
“I joined with a specific focus because I’ve been working on for years, trying to get FEMA out of the Department of Homeland Security,” Moskowitz mentioned, reiterating the precedence he outlined when he first introduced his choice on Tuesday.
“I think the Department of Homeland Security was a great idea. I think it’s still necessary, but I think over the last 20 years, it’s become too big,” he added.
Moskowitz mentioned that dialog is going on within the DOGE Caucus, and it is incumbent upon Democrats to ensure they’re a part of the vital conversations.
“I’m sure there’s going to be things that Elon and Vivek are going to come up with that I’m vehemently going to disagree on, and I will make sure that I’m a loud voice voting against that stuff,” Moskowitz mentioned. “But we got to go to where the conversations are happening.”
“The idea that we’re not going to go to these places and just pretend the conversations aren’t happening is not a way to conduct business here,” he added.
CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed Moskowitz on the prospect that Musk may make the federal government operate much less successfully, pointing to the rise in antisemitism on Musk’s X platform since he took it over when it was Twitter.
Moskowitz mentioned he has “been a leader” on urgent Musk to deal with considerations in regards to the rise in antisemitism and has personally written to Musk quite a few instances about his personal antisemitic experiences on X since Musk took over.
“At the end of the day, I think everyone in Congress is of the position that government isn’t perfect,” Moskowitz mentioned. “I’m looking for ways to improve government. I think the American people expect us to find ways to improve government, and in some places that may be shrinking the size of government.”
“I’m looking to have this overall conversation,” he added. “It’s why I joined the caucus, to go there and meet with my colleagues across the aisle. And Democrats shouldn’t fear this conversation. I think there are ways to improve government, and I’m looking to do that.”
